The revival of the woodcut
as a graphic medium started in the late 19th century. Artists like Paul
Gauguin and Edvard Munch transformed the woodcut from a narrative illustration
into a tool to express individual ideas. They experimented with the wooden
block to produce textures and tones that were more dramatic.

This trend continued into
the 20th century with the emergence of German Expressionism. Most of the
German Expressionists were graphic-minded. They made prolific use of the
leading print mediums, especially the woodcut, using the sharp contrast
of black and white and the hard, dramatic cuts to express their souls and
to turn a small format into a monumental image.

Graphic works also had a
solid tradition in the history of Jewish art. Jews used calligraphy to
scribe in accordance with certain stylistic rules. The Jewish attachment
to the book promoted the evolution of book illustrations. Jewish artists
like Herman Struck, Joseph Budko and Jacob Steinhardt, who produced powerful
graphic work with Jewish themes, inspired future artists.

Herman Struck (1887-1944)
contributed internationally to the development of etching and created prints
representing views of Israel and Jewish culture in various lands. His student,
Joseph Budko (1880-1940), followed his lead and turned to graphic art.
Budko developed a style that combined personal attitude with Jewish mentality,
a synthesis of Jewish tradition and modern artistic approach. He also revived
the spirit of Jewish book illustration, elevating it to modern design.

In 1913, Jacob Steinhardt
(1887-1969) and Ludwig Meidner (1884-1966) founded the Berlin Expressionist
group known as Die Pathetiker (The Suffering Ones), which focused mainly
on graphic arts. Steinhardt became one of the most prominent woodcut artists
using a neo-Gothic or Biblical style and refining the technique of block
printing.

The Federal Arts Program
of the U.S. Works Progress Administration established a Graphic Arts Division
in 1935. The replicated prints and public murals created during this period
contained social messages that were targeted to a Depression-weary mass
audience. The artists of A Gift to Biro-Bidjan, who were active members
of the WPA, produced graphic art and public murals.

In 1937, the Chicago Society
of Artists began publishing an annual block-print calendar to expose Chicago
artists to a wider audience and to finance the society’s activities. The
Artist Calendar – 1937 was published in the summer of 1936 and featured
woodcuts by 30 artists, including four artists who contributed to A Gift
to Biro-Bidjan: Fritzi Brod, Abraham Weiner, Louis Weiner, and Todros Geller.
This calendar project, used as a fund-raising tool, preceded the ICOR publication
of A Gift to Biro-Bidjan.

Among the artists who participated
in A Gift to Biro-Bidjan, Todros Geller was the most prominent graphic
artist. He illustrated more than 40 books, and several books of his woodcuts
were published. In the same year A Gift to Biro-Bidjan was produced, L.M.
Stein published Geller’s woodcuts album, From Land to Land.

The artists of A Gift to
Biro-Bidjan made remarkable use of woodcut techniques to promote their
ideas. Black silhouette, where the artist carves out background spaces
from the wooden block, was applied mainly for the motif of “despair.” White
silhouette, where the artist carves out the area of the subject, was used
primarily for the motif of “new hope.” The dramatic contrast of black-and-white
woodcut emphasizes the symbolism of “dark” versus “light” and “despair”
versus “new hope.”